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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · net · court · season · pitcher · swing · straw · stem

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. court — of law
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. net — after costs
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. swing — in golf
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. court — of a king
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. swing — to play on
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. net — for catching
  18. swing — music
  19. stem — to come from
  20. net — in sport
  21. court — for sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com